


redamancy & rising

by kirsongs



Category: The Grisha Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: F/F, just some tamar and nadia fluff set near the end of ruin & rising, set the day after alina and mal come back from tracking the firebird, so they're still in dva stolba at that cute little inn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:28:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26872942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirsongs/pseuds/kirsongs
Summary: redamancy.(n.) the act of loving the one who loves you; a love returned in fulla look found often in the eyes of a lover, notably between a certain shu heartrender & ravkan squaller.for grishatober day 04.
Relationships: Tamar Kir-Bataar/Nadia Zhabin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15
Collections: GRISHATOBER 2020





	redamancy & rising

**Author's Note:**

> "the hours after you are gone are so leaden they will always start dragging too soon" - cascando, samuel beckett

In the early dawn, amidst the dust and dew, the village of Dva Stolba lay in slumber, the road stretching into the mountains empty, and the square stilled in silence. Even the pale blue inn, busier than it had been in weeks, lay quiet, its occupants yet to rise with the morning. Even the youngest, a boy of near eight, remained with eyes closed and covers drawn tight, a welcome reprieve from the turbulent force he'd become over the last few days, energy growing by the hour. The mood was not somber, as one might guess if they knew truly of the inhabitants within; it was merely sleepy, as all small towns located on the verge of war strive to be.

Several inhabitants had begun to rise with the sun, but none had yet to venture beyond their doors, basking in the rare quiet of the moment, knowing of the days they would face ahead. A redheaded girl - shockingly beautiful, even scarred - stirs in her sleep, reaching out for a boy who has already risen. A slight girl, all bone and gold, holds herself tight, the tracks of tears still visible on her face, now solemn and haunting in sleep. A boy, freckled cheeks and delicate lashes, barely beyond childhood, tosses with the afflictions of what has become a recurring nightmare, one he had lived only weeks before. And a Shu girl, bronzed and battle-worn, watches the first stirrings of the figure next to her, light hair spread across the pillow, eyelids blinking open with the first streams of sunlight.

Dawn had begun to stream through their open window, bathing the room in warm light, flecks of gold on the faded red walls, holding their color despite the years of use. Weathered by sun and sky, but the cheer of the original lacquer still shown through. The curtains fared a different fate, hanging half moth-eaten, though it appeared their taste was far better than the warm wool blankets, which had remained relatively untouched by time and nature. 

The rest of the room was not so untouched, but more so due to the inhabitants than the wilds. An olive jacket, almost military, hung over the back of one chair, a blood-stained, a ripped kefta tucked under it, the once bright blue tarnished by war and dust. Two pairs of boots, mud-splattered and worn, sat scattered across the floor, discarded the day before with little care. The two narrow beds had been pushed together, scratching the wood floor even more than it had been, past visitors having long past worn down the varnish. 

"Hey," Nadia murmured, eyes blinking open, turning to face Tamar, a small, tired smile on her face. Even with a full night of sleep, and a restful last few days, they were both almost perpetually exhausted, the chaos of the Spinning Wheel still lingering in their minds, and the power exerted there still taking its toll. 

"Please tell me you slept for more than, like, two hours?"

Tamar let out a small laugh, a grin gracing her lips. _A Heartrender's grin_ , Alina had called it once, and the term had stuck. 

"I slept more than David, that's for sure."

Nadia frowned, a small furrow forming between her brows. 

"That's not an answer."

"I'll be fine. I always am."

"I don't want to be there the day your luck runs out, 'Mar."

Tamar intertwined their fingers, pressing her lips gently to the other girl's knuckles. 

"It's not luck. You of all people should know that."

Nadia giggled, flopping back onto the pillows, fingers still intertwined, a flush forming on her freckled cheeks.

"Saints, you sound like Nikolai."

"And that's a bad thing?" Tamar's grin remained, the corner of her mouth turning upward into a sly smirk. "Half of Ravka would kill to be whispered sweet nothings by our golden prince."

"Good thing we're both in the other half, then."

"A good thing indeed," the taller girl echoed, leaning down to press a kiss on Nadia's exposed shoulder, lips soft on bare skin.

The Squaller giggled again, hand letting go of Tamar's to tangle in her hair, long fingers through short, dark locks.

"I'm sure Mal will be coming by any minute now to tell us we're leaving," she chided, but didn't stop her. "You know how he likes to get up with the sun."

"I'm sure he does," Tamar intimated, provoking another squeak of a laugh from Nadia. "And I'm sure he's not too ready to leave her arms this early." _Especially with the news from yesterday_. 

"Yeah," Nadia sighed, Tamar's lips moving up her neck, sweet and slow. "If I were them, I'd take all the time I had left."

"Well, then, let's thank certain doom for this," the other girl murmured, moving to place a kiss on Nadia's lips.

"Let's," she breathed, quiet and full. They'd steal kisses when they could, that was the way of war. And oh, wasn't this just the perfect moment to steal.


End file.
